Patriots-Seahawks Super Bowl LX Matchup Features This Rarity For First Time In 22 Years
Both the Patriots' and Seahawks' Super Bowl LX appearances are a surprise
The New England Patriots’ turnaround from back-to-back 4-13 seasons to a Super Bowl LX berth under first-year head coach Mike Vrabel is one of the biggest storylines of the NFL season.
The Seattle Seahawks’ appearance in the big game is a surprise too, given how the last few seasons went in the pacific northwest.
Seattle went a respectable 10-7 during the 2024 campaign but missed the playoffs due to the Los Angeles Rams winning the tiebreaker with an identical regular season mark.
ESPN’s Mike Reiss noted that the Patriots-Seahawks Super Bowl LX matchup is the first in 22 years that features teams that missed the previous year’s postseason.
“NOTES: Players day off…1st Super Bowl matchup of teams that missed playoffs in prior season since 2003 (NE-CAR)…NE 12 playoff sacks…DT Cory Durden on Mike Vrabel – ‘He changed my life’…1st time Patriots underdogs in SB since 2001,” Reiss posted on Bluesky.
Seattle also missed the playoffs in 2023 after going 9-8.
Vrabel also played a huge part of the Super Bowl XXXVIII battle between New England and the Carolina Panthers, finishing with six tackles, a game-high 2.0 sacks and one forced fumble.
The former Patriots Pro Bowl linebacker also caught the first of his two career Super Bowl touchdowns, hauling in a one-yard pass from Tom Brady in the fourth quarter.
New England’s championship during the 2003 campaign was the first of back-to-back titles and second in a stretch of three crowns in four years.
Brady, Vrabel and company missed the tournament during the 2002 season, however, after going 9-7.
The Panthers’ Super Bowl XXXVIII berth was their first ever and came in just their ninth season of existence. Carolina had missed the playoffs the previous six years.
